Gossip
by Nichol1
Summary: X1 ficlet. Rogue catches up on girltalk!


**GOSSIP**

Disclaimer: The movieverse belongs to...someone. Bryan Singer, the company that made it, Stan Lee, Marvel...whoever it is, it's not me. And I'm not making any money, either. Duh.) 

Archiving: Kielle, as always, has first dibs. If anyone else might want my paltry piece of fic, you're welcome to it. Just tell me, okay? 

Feedback: I am a sweltering, starving, endless cavern of white-hot, unfulfilled need. Feedback me if you know what's good for ya. 

* * *

  
"Hey Rogue! Over here!" 

The young woman who had just walked into the cafeteria turned sharply at the call of her name. Marie smiled weakly and waved at her newfound friends. Over the last few weeks, her old life as the shy teen from Mississippi known as Marie had faded away; her new life as the mutant Rogue had overtaken that old world, burning away the past as surely as the white streak Magneto had burned into her hair. 

"C'mon." Katherine "Kitty" Pryde, one of her classmates and a fellow mutant, scooted aside on her seat and made room for her. "Where were you yesterday?" 

One thing she was definitely not going to miss about her old existence was the lack of friends. Marie had been a quiet, clever, but painfully shy girl in high school; the type who hugged the walls when she walked down the hall. The type cheerleaders snickered at, and football players didn't even notice. But Rogue had plenty of friends, even two cute guys wrestling for her attention. Heck, no-one even made a big deal out of her name. She supposed living in a mansion with a man who called himself Cyclops and a woman who called herself Storm kinda made you accepting of odd names. 

"Sorry." She sniffled, patting her nose with a tissue. "Ah had a nasty head cold all day Wednesday. The professor sent me to Jean." Rogue slid in the seat, placing her bag beneath her feet. 

Her fellow classmate, Jubilation Lee, screwed up her nose and made a sympathetic face. "Man, that sucks! Sorry. You okay now?" 

"Yeah." Rogue blew her nose, brushing a strand of silver-white hair from her face. "One thing Ah'm gonna miss is Logan's healing factor." 

Jubilee giggled, and poked Kitty in the side. "Just his healing factor, huh?" The slim Asian girl winked at Rogue. 

The brunette mutant huffed and tossed her wadded-up tissue ball at Jubilee, who fried it in midair with her plasmoid powers. "It's not like that!" 

"Oh, really?" Kitty giggled, her hands clasped over her face. "I saw the way you looked at him!" 

"Oh, whatever." Rogue pretended to be dejected, folding her arms over her chest and glaring off into the distance, her chin jutting out. "Whattya know of love, anyway?" 

"Oh, Kitty knows plenty about love." Jubilee gently jabbed her companion with her elbow. "Are you and Peter still going out?" 

"We never 'went out'!" Kitty protested, a bit too loudly, it seemed to Rogue. "We just went to a movie and he drew a picture of me! We didn't even kiss or anything!" 

Rogue's smile faded when she thought of kissing. Her so far only experience had ended in disaster. She still woke up with nightmares of what happened to him... 

"Anyway." Jubilee leaned across the table to her, lowering her voice. "You missed a great show yesterday!" 

"What happened?" Rogue was suddenly curious; everyone in this school seemed to have the most exciting lives. The only exciting thing she did yesterday had been studying her English Lit book in bed and trying not to sneeze all over it. 

Kitty and Jubilee shared a look. "Well, we were just sitting there in class, right?" Jubilee continued, getting that "_I know a secret_" sparkle in her eyes. "You know, just listening to Miss Munroe. When this guy walks in!" 

"A guy?" Rogue raised an eyebrow. 

"A guy," Kitty repeated, smiling. "A gorgeous guy! He was older than us, maybe right around Miss Munroe's age. Anyway, he walks right on it, doesn't even knock or anything. He was wearing blue jeans and had long brown hair..." Kitty sighed, looking wistful. 

Jubilee poked her again. "Yeah, he was pretty cute. But I'd never seen him before. He looked like he'd just walked in off the street -- kinda like a biker. Long black trench coat, black sunglasses, the whole thing. He sure didn't look like anybody Miss Munroe hangs around with." 

"He didn't, huh?" Rogue took a bite of her sandwich, listening intently. 

"Nope. Anyway, we were all just sitting there, staring at him, not sure if he was a visitor or an evil mutant sent to kill us or what. And then Miss Munroe turns around -- and get this -- _smiles_ at him!" 

Rogue shot Jubilee a questioning look. "She just -- smiled? That's it? Miss Munroe smiles at everyone." 

Jubilee rolled her eyes. "Not just any smile, Rogue -- a light-the-sky-on fire, blood-burning-in-your-veins, scream-to-the-heights-of-heaven-_'I'm-too-glad-to-see-you'_ smile. She doesn't smile at everyone like _that_." 

Rogue swallowed the bite of sandwich. "Old friend, huh?" 

Kitty giggled. "It sure looked that way. She called him Remy, and excused herself from the room to go talk to him in the hall. We didn't find out what he's here for. Maybe he wants to join the X-Men!" Kitty wrinkled her nose. "He didn't say much though. But I think he was French." 

The door to the cafeteria opened, and Scott Summers strolled in, followed closely by Dr. Jean Grey, who was still in her lab coat. 

"Hi Rogue!" Jean greeted her, waving. "How's your cold?" 

"Ah'm fine!" Rogue called back, smiling. "Ah'm feeling a lot better, thanks!" 

Jubilee and Kitty both waved to the two senior X-Men then turned back to Rogue. Scott and Jean sat down at a table and began unpacking their lunches and chatting. While reaching for a package of mustard, Jean was caught off guard when Scott leaned over and stole a kiss. 

"Looks like love is in the air." Jubilee sighed melodramatically, pretending to swoon. 

"Or the water," Kitty commented, sipping her drink. 

**THE END**


End file.
